We met Erwan Rouxel, who has been practicing this profession for 15 years with prestigious racers. However, nothing disposed him to follow such a course, as this Parisian had only sailed with his family until the age of 20 during cruises in Brittany (his father owned a sailboat in La Trinité) as well as in a Hobie Cat (at Mazura Marine on the Seine) just for fun.
Because what drives Erwan is certainly not the regatta and the race against time, but on the contrary his first quality is his great patience, driven by a job that requires a lot of meticulousness. Admiring those who race across the oceans, he admits that he does not have this competitive spirit in his body. But he loves sailing.
This is why, once grown up, he went on a trip to New Zealand, and the trigger took place: integrated a little by chance in the "Fosters" team in Auckland (Shipchandler company which manufactures masts), he quickly joined the Harken team and started to prepare TP52s as a deckhand. Thanks to this position, he will be on the decks of the famous TP 52, some IMOCA, and maxi; we have already known less prestigious trainingâeuros¦
At the same time, he met Jean-Pierre Dick, who had his IMOCA "Virbac-Paprec" built there. It was through this meeting that the adventure really began. The racer offered him the opportunity to ferry his new IMOCA between Auckland and Perth, his first scares at sea, his first steps as a crew member and above all as a stevedore.
Vibac Paprec's mast step
Then, thanks to this experience, he embarked on a 92-foot catamaran (a VPLP design) for a four-year round-the-world trip to La Ciotat. As a sailor on board, he was in charge of the deck and the rigging.
At this stage, seamanship already holds no secrets for him. These years have been the real trigger of his experience, on the preparations and adjustments of rigging. He even admits that he gradually overcame his fear of being tossed 40 meters high on a deckhand's chair.
Today, as racing boats become even more specialized, what do we ask of a rigger?
In order to be able to join a team like Jean-Pierre Dick's, you have to know seamanship without fail, which includes the different techniques for working with the ropes on board. You must, of course, have a perfect command of the different textiles, know their strength and breaking points.
Knowing how to make splices and overlaps is not all that a rigger needs to know. You also have to think and be innovative, to fulfill the task which consists, this time, in installing, adjusting and repairing the running and standing rigging, with the permanent concern of a perfect work, to avoid any problem once the boat is racing.
Nowadays, the big sailing teams (Sprindrift, Sodébo, Banque Populaire...) have their own rigging manager. And this one surrounds himself with the competence of riggers, riggers and seamstresses in the phases of work, out of the water, construction and launching. Erwan is one of them. He is not assigned to a team, but intervenes "on demand", which is why he has had contacts with prestigious skippers.
If for the 2008 Vendée Globe, he collaborated with the company Blew-Stoub and had essentially worked on Mike Golding's Ecover, he also participated in the preparation of Safran, then in the hands of Marc Guillemot, and Virbac for Jean-Pierre Dick. Then it was Dominique Wavre for the 2012 edition and again Jean-Pierre Dick for the 2016 editionâeuros¦
Currently, Erwan is working alongside Isabelle Joschke and her IMOCA in MACSF colors for the next Vendée Globe in 2020, but also with Giancario Pedote for the same race. He is also supporting the Sprindrift team, which has its own rigging manager, but which has a lot to do with Sprindrift 2, the D35 foil and other supports. In May, it will be Gitana's turn to call on him to support the rigging manager.
The Virbac Paprec piano
The advent of foils and wing masts directly inspires riggers, who must of course take into account these specificities, and adapt to new sail plans, speeds that continue to increase, implying new resistance of materials. Rigger, a profession in permanent mutation !
That's why, with this long experience, Erwan now wants to do design and consulting. Let's bet that with this experience, his "dance card" will be quickly filled!
